For Pima Community College student Jessica Anne Haught, life is a constant go. Between school, work, family, friends and soccer, down time is minimal.

Haught, 20, lives by a quote from T.S. Elliot: “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

Life has not always been easy, but she keeps pushing through.

Haught, one of four daughters, was born in Phoenix. She grew up in Young, Ariz., and moved to Tucson in 2004. Haught went to high school at Cienega.

Although she appreciates the opportunities Tucson offers, she most enjoyed living in Young.

“It’s kind of like my home town,” she said. “I like the small-town feel and I like the mountains, not the desert.”

One of Haught’s earliest memories is when both she and her younger sister Shauna broke their legs, and her best friend pulled them around in a wagon.

Tragically, Shauna died of a stroke when she was 4.

Haught’s greatest regret? “Not loving my sister more when she was alive.”

Jessica Haught

Just recently, Haught’s father had to undergo brain surgery. He is now home and recovering, but the ordeal hit the family hard.

Haught credits her family’s Christian beliefs for helping them through the crises.

She has managed to stay on track, graduating from high school as a straight “A” student. Last month, she finished her third season playing for the Pima women’s soccer program, after being forced to red-shirt her second year due to injury.

In 2009, the Aztecs won the Arizona Community College Athletic Association championship but were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs at home.

This past season, Haught was a team captain and a starter in every game. She was named to the All-Region 2nd Team and hopes to receive the All-American Award that is given to athletes who maintain a 3.5 or higher grade point average.

Haught’s field of study is fire science. She plans on becoming a firefighter and wants to live in Colorado, preferably Colorado Springs.

She has her future planned: “Two years at a university playing soccer, then a career firefighting and being a part-time coach.”

Upcoming challenges are “having money for college, the physical part of being a firefighter and working to get my paramedic.”

Haught is considering some schools in Colorado, University of Washington and Berry University in Miami.

Another worry is the hiring freeze in her career field. It’s tough economically and not many opportunities exist to get on with a fire department.

To overcome these challenges, she plans on “working hard without giving up and pushing through every challenge that comes along.”